A man who was filmed delivering an unhinged racist tirade during a road rage incident has been identified as a local restaurant owner and member of the university’s advisory board.
Jonathan Spanos, 54, was recorded throwing racial slurs at another driver in York, Pennsylvania, at one point exclaiming, “I’m a racist,” in a video posted to X on Sunday.
The clip shows Spanos in a confrontation on a residential road, repeatedly calling another man’s brother a “half n****r.”
“I don’t have a half-n*****r brother, but you do,” he said. “You gave me the finger, you’re wrong.
‘That’s right, I did, I said he has a half n****r brother… That’s me, I’m a racist.’
Jonathan Spanos, 54, was recorded using racial slurs, at one point saying, “I’m a racist,” during a road rage incident
The confrontation took place on a residential road where Spanos repeatedly called another man’s brother a “half n****r.”
Spanos served on the Penn State York Advisory Board and, with his wife, owns a seafood restaurant called The Paddock on Market.
He resigned from the board on Monday, a day after the video was posted on X, Penn State director of university public relations Wyatt DuBois told DailyMail.com.
“This hateful speech has no place in our community and does not reflect the values of the university or our desire to foster an inclusive environment,” DuBois said.
Spanos endowed the J. Spanos Family Trustee Scholarship in honor of his parents and sisters who attended the school. According to him, he was listed as a commencement speaker at the university in 2014 Center Daily Times.
Spanos and his wife Sally are the third generation owners of their family restaurant, according to The Paddock on Market website.
Spanos and his wife Sally (photo) are the third generation owners of their family restaurant
The website states that they are known for their “award-winning” Chesapeake jumbo lump crab cakes, fresh-cut angus stakes, made-to-order pasta sautés and salads, as well as their “house-made” onion rings.
Spanos issued a public apology Wednesday along with a small group of local leaders — including the Black Ministers’ Association, the NAACP and the Confronting Racism Coalition of York — reported WHP.
“The video captured a heated family confrontation in which I deliberately used the ugliest language,” he said.
‘It was wrong that I didn’t walk away from that unstable situation. I was wrong when I responded angrily with hate speech.
“I was wrong to use a racist term that has caused great trauma in our country, our community and our neighbors. It was also wrong to sarcastically say in the video that I am a racist.
Spanos served on the Penn State York Advisory Board but resigned Monday, a day after the video was posted on X
He owns The Paddock on Market, a seafood restaurant known for its award-winning crab cakes
“It saddens me that my own foolish words have understandably caused others to wonder if I am a racist. Although I never believed I was a racist, I was reminded by the preachers that the mouth speaks what flows from the heart.”
The York chapter of the NAACP called for Spano’s immediate resignation from the advisory board, saying they were “deeply disturbed” by the incident.
“The emotional trauma this video is causing African Americans is deplorable. “The use of this derogatory term is not only offensive, but it perpetuates the systemic racism that the NAACP has fought against for more than a century,” said Jamiel Alexander, President of the NAACP York Branch.
“Penn State York should thoroughly review advisory board members to ensure they embody the university’s commitment to diversity, equity, inclusivity and belonging.”
DailyMail.com has reached out to Spanos for further comment.